Looked at a repair last week in a shower that was leaking badly. The tile is made of metal. Looks like ceramic, but it's actually metal.

We want to demo and do a pan fix, saving all the metal tiles. Anyone experienced with these old-timey metal tiles? Do you stick these things with thin-set or what?

Looks like the original setter stuck these to the plaster wall...you can imagine the results...

Let me know what you know. I'll try to get a picture up soon, but just wanted to through this out there for now until I can get a pic...

Thanks,
B

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02-20-2011, 08:51 AM

My limited exp with metal tile/s............ The 1's I've done,the metal was pressed over a porcelain tile. The was over a year ago.

You'll have to rip out your job,to see what you're up against. If solid metal,I would "assume" you would have to use epoxy etc to set em.

cx

02-20-2011, 08:52 AM

Brian, if you'll type "metal tile" into the Advanced Search and ask for Titles you'll get some reading that might help. :)

Davy

02-20-2011, 09:15 AM

Brian, are these tiles very thin and made of tin? If so, they might bend too easy to save.

Lazarus

02-20-2011, 09:28 AM

Did some a while back. They were metal over ceramic.

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If they were like these, you oughta be able to clean the thinset...

geetpicker

02-20-2011, 10:28 AM

yup. They are real thin and I could be tin. I think I can get them off the wall easily enough, but what to set them with?

Why did this thread get moved out of pros area?

Waiting for my camera to charge to take a pic.

cx

02-20-2011, 10:34 AM

Looks like a project thread, Brian, and this is the project advice area. :)

geetpicker

02-20-2011, 10:42 AM

OK thanks CX...I thought it was related to how many bids I've been loosing this past month, that I was no longer a pro...:bang:

OK, gonna try to post a pic now, let's see how this works...

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cx

02-20-2011, 10:47 AM

Well, it might also help if you'd add a little information to your User Profile such that someone looking there might have some idea that you're in the tile trades. :)

Not that that determines what gets posted in the Hangout. Anyone is welcome to join discussions there, but it's sposta be a place for discussions of the technical issues in the industry, rather than individual projects. Those are best dealt with here.

Those tiles you have look a whole lot like the old plastic tiles from back when I was a youngster. And I've never seen them set with anything but organic adhesive (mastic). I can't tell from your photos what the back of the tile consists of. Is it just smooth metal, or some sorta textured surface?

geetpicker

02-20-2011, 03:58 PM

Well I just hit it with the grinder and it is metal not plastic. The back is relatively smooth, no ridges or anything. It looks like it was set with a mastic. Ain't wantin' to do mastic in this lady's shower.

I've never seen anything like this before.

John Bridge

02-20-2011, 04:39 PM

They're metal, Brian, and they are set with mastic. Never seen them in a shower before. They don't get grouted. ;)

geetpicker

02-22-2011, 05:48 PM

Well I more or less passed on this repair. Just couldn't come up with any solution that I felt I could offer a warranty on...

John, the were in a shower, and grouted. It's a total mess, but lasted 40 years or so. But now there's water getting down into the living room below. Bizz has been picking up now and I really could do with out the liability with messing around with these metal tiles.